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AOR Legend & 4-time AOR Xbox F1 Champion

F1 Senna Equivalent

So Liverpool finally lose their first league game of the season, its been a incredible long unbeaten run for them but it all teams on a run like that have to have a off day eventually, though to be fair to Watford that was a great performance by them as well.

Anyway quite a strange midweek in store for us as today sees the first 5th round match of the FA Cup, I guess the 'winter break' for the PL has meant that the 5th round got moved to a midweek, anyway heres the matches:

Obviously the stand out tie is Chelsea-Liverpool, but potential for several upsets are there Pompey-Arsenal tonight, WBA-Newcastle & Derby-Man Utd.

AOR PC GT3 S14 T2 Champion

Background: in Germany we have the legendary "50+1 rule", you might've heard of it as it's preventing things like City, Abramovich, Cardiff and so on: The clause states that, in order to obtain a license to compete in the Bundesliga, a club must hold a majority of its own voting rights. (Wikipedia). Hopp (for Hoffenheim) and especially Red Bull for RB Leipzig eeehm I mean "Rasen Ballsport" (literally grass ball sport) are heavily undermining this. Note: RB bought a 5th tier, very old but very small club, renamed it, moved it to a 50.000 seater arena and spent more on players and staff than Bayern and Dortmund. All while there were only 5 to 15 official members of the club.

But now that Mr Hopp is (admittedly) repeatedly insulted, players refuse to play and the DFB insists on stopping matches altogether if that will happen again...

So, German football fans are pissed and furious as heck (rightly so?), that nothing is done or even acknowledged against and about racist abuse... But the second a billionaire with a heavy influence on German football appears to be the victim, everything changes...

F1 Senna Equivalent

Well it was inevitable I guess but UK football has now been 'suspended' until start of April. (UCL & UEL also postponed)

So I have to ask you @Steve Jackson on a scale of 0 - 10 (0 being 'not worried at all' to 10 being 'extreme panic') how concerned are you that Liverpool are going to be robbed of the PL?

It'll be very interesting to see what routes the other European leagues take if there is no resumption and perhaps each respective national FA will copy whatever the first nation to make a decision decides to do, obviously the English PL/FA's position is pretty awkward since Liverpool are 25 points clear.

Anyway its unbelievable to witness how the majority of the worlds major sports events have basically fallen apart and disintegrated in a matter of a couple of days.

Sure I know they've been branded by there respective sports bodies as either suspended/cancelled/postponed etc, but the reality is this is unprecedented in the modern era. (and the last era you could compare this to is 1939-1945 I would've thought)

And with regards to the UK, if the estimated peak for covid-19 here is correct (peak due in another 10-14 weeks) then the FA's scheduled April 3rd restart for football looks impossible to be blunt, the only way that happens is if a miracle happens and this virus is somehow brought fully under control within the next 2 weeks.

I guess like F1, all we can do now is wait and twiddle our thumbs in the meantime.

Background: in Germany we have the legendary "50+1 rule", you might've heard of it as it's preventing things like City, Abramovich, Cardiff and so on: The clause states that, in order to obtain a license to compete in the Bundesliga, a club must hold a majority of its own voting rights. (Wikipedia). Hopp (for Hoffenheim) and especially Red Bull for RB Leipzig eeehm I mean "Rasen Ballsport" (literally grass ball sport) are heavily undermining this. Note: RB bought a 5th tier, very old but very small club, renamed it, moved it to a 50.000 seater arena and spent more on players and staff than Bayern and Dortmund. All while there were only 5 to 15 official members of the club.

But now that Mr Hopp is (admittedly) repeatedly insulted, players refuse to play and the DFB insists on stopping matches altogether if that will happen again...

So, German football fans are pissed and furious as heck (rightly so?), that nothing is done or even acknowledged against and about racist abuse... But the second a billionaire with a heavy influence on German football appears to be the victim, everything changes...

Yeah I heard of the big resentment towards RB Leipzig by pretty much every other German football fan, the thing is seeing a billionaire owner start pumping tons of money into a football club is seen as a ordinary acceptable thing nowadays over here, yet I guess in Germany what RB Leipzig were doing was breaking the unwritten rules over there.

So I can understand the average German football fan being unhappy about it, but you may not like it but for all we know the Bundesliga might become the next billionaires playground. (like the EPL already is)

Anyway I remember reading something about a German game that got stopped because the owner was getting insulted by oppo fans.

Jesus its a good job that isn't done here, otherwise Newcastle would not only have games suspended but then have no fans left in there home ground (St James Park), due to the abuse they regularly sing at there owner Mike Ashley at games.

Of course though obviously its sad the racist abuse suffered by another footballer was seemingly swept under the carpet, but as you said it just goes to show how the 2 incidents were treated on complete opposites sides of the morality spectrum.

AOR Legend

Well it was inevitable I guess but UK football has now been 'suspended' until start of April. (UCL & UEL also postponed)

So I have to ask you @Steve Jackson on a scale of 0 - 10 (0 being 'not worried at all' to 10 being 'extreme panic') how concerned are you that Liverpool are going to be robbed of the PL?

It'll be very interesting to see what routes the other European leagues take if there is no resumption and perhaps each respective national FA will copy whatever the first nation to make a decision decides to do, obviously the English PL/FA's position is pretty awkward since Liverpool are 25 points clear.

Anyway its unbelievable to witness how the majority of the worlds major sports events have basically fallen apart and disintegrated in a matter of a couple of days.

Sure I know they've been branded by there respective sports bodies as either suspended/cancelled/postponed etc, but the reality is this is unprecedented in the modern era. (and the last era you could compare this to is 1939-1945 I would've thought)

And with regards to the UK, if the estimated peak for covid-19 here is correct (peak due in another 10-14 weeks) then the FA's scheduled April 3rd restart for football looks impossible to be blunt, the only way that happens is if a miracle happens and this virus is somehow brought fully under control within the next 2 weeks.

I guess like F1, all we can do now is wait and twiddle our thumbs in the meantime.

Yeah I heard of the big resentment towards RB Leipzig by pretty much every other German football fan, the thing is seeing a billionaire owner start pumping tons of money into a football club is seen as a ordinary acceptable thing nowadays over here, yet I guess in Germany what RB Leipzig were doing was breaking the unwritten rules over there.

So I can understand the average German football fan being unhappy about it, but you may not like it but for all we know the Bundesliga might become the next billionaires playground. (like the EPL already is)

Anyway I remember reading something about a German game that got stopped because the owner was getting insulted by oppo fans.

Jesus its a good job that isn't done here, otherwise Newcastle would not only have games suspended but then have no fans left in there home ground (St James Park), due to the abuse they regularly sing at there owner Mike Ashley at games.

Of course though obviously its sad the racist abuse suffered by another footballer was seemingly swept under the carpet, but as you said it just goes to show how the 2 incidents were treated on complete opposites sides of the morality spectrum.

I think the position will become clearer when they decide the fate of the Euro 2020 tournament. Logic would dictate that this is now highly impractical with the window for international travel likely to be restricted in the run up to the tournament. As this is primarily spread by the highly-mobile percentage of the population that fly internationally, increasing those numbers within Europe for the competition seems to be not the best idea.

But, I think if the tournament is held over until 2021 (which seems the best solution) then the conclusion of the domestic leagues and cups and the UCL/UEL seems possible. It would be unthinkable to try to come up with a fair system to arrive at promotion, relegation and qualification by any other means.

If the teams are using this window to have players self-isolate, then a behind closed doors resumption would seem viable by that first deadline. But I have seen no suggestion that this is in fact what is happening or even encouraged or suggested.

I have seen suggestions that the games might even be played in a reduced timeframe (including midweek) to try to complete the season by the contract / transfer deadline of June 30 as I do see how the movement of players during a season could then be used to assist teams in that fight for survival or glory. But, equally sensibly a reduction in the transfer window or a moveable window is possible or in fact probable.

The worry is that somehow logical decisions won't get made or agreed either in time or at all.

We do rather seem to be swept up in a wave of change that is gathering pace and what seems reasonable or possible now, will somehow be viewed as less so in a matter of days. Looking at it after the fact, personally I feel the changes have been late and over-reactive.

The awful fudge of the last 7 days can't continue. It needs a plan or timetable and needs to be pro-active. There is a lot of money tied up in Premier League and UCL TV rights, but the national economy will suffer more from the loss of EFL matchdays and the closed doors idea doesn't seem practical because of the amount of income to those clubs that is tied up in the matchday attendances.

F1 Senna Equivalent

I think the position will become clearer when they decide the fate of the Euro 2020 tournament. Logic would dictate that this is now highly impractical with the window for international travel likely to be restricted in the run up to the tournament. As this is primarily spread by the highly-mobile percentage of the population that fly internationally, increasing those numbers within Europe for the competition seems to be not the best idea.

But, I think if the tournament is held over until 2021 (which seems the best solution) then the conclusion of the domestic leagues and cups and the UCL/UEL seems possible. It would be unthinkable to try to come up with a fair system to arrive at promotion, relegation and qualification by any other means.

If the teams are using this window to have players self-isolate, then a behind closed doors resumption would seem viable by that first deadline. But I have seen no suggestion that this is in fact what is happening or even encouraged or suggested.

I have seen suggestions that the games might even be played in a reduced timeframe (including midweek) to try to complete the season by the contract / transfer deadline of June 30 as I do see how the movement of players during a season could then be used to assist teams in that fight for survival or glory. But, equally sensibly a reduction in the transfer window or a moveable window is possible or in fact probable.

The worry is that somehow logical decisions won't get made or agreed either in time or at all.

We do rather seem to be swept up in a wave of change that is gathering pace and what seems reasonable or possible now, will somehow be viewed as less so in a matter of days. Looking at it after the fact, personally I feel the changes have been late and over-reactive.

The awful fudge of the last 7 days can't continue. It needs a plan or timetable and needs to be pro-active. There is a lot of money tied up in Premier League and UCL TV rights, but the national economy will suffer more from the loss of EFL matchdays and the closed doors idea doesn't seem practical because of the amount of income to those clubs that is tied up in the matchday attendances.

I agree with most of your assessment Steve, well UEFA are having there meeting tomorrow and I honestly can't see them not postponing EURO 2020 and honestly it should be an easy decision to reach as EURO 2020 is being 'hosted' over many different cities across 10 countries.
As for UCL & UEL again seeing and hearing plenty of rumours with it, though I guess its best to simply wait until tomorrow when all should be revealed.

Looking at things domestically, if this suspension is extended beyond April 3rd (which is highly likely at the moment you would have to believe) while the PL clubs wouldn't have much to worry about its the EFL and non-league clubs which can ill-afford for it go beyond April 3rd, as there are probably plenty of clubs in league 1, league 2 & non league that are already on a financial tightrope.

Any extension beyond April 3rd and you may very well get the unavoidable situation, where lower & non league clubs will have no option but to ask the PL to fund there survival (ie: interest free loan) until football returns.

And see the Bundesliga planned restart for this week are pretty much in tatters following not only a whole football club being put in isolation, but after the easing of the lockdown restrictions in Germany a increase straight away in the infection rate.

Its hard to see anything other then football looking done for this season and probably a delayed start into next, obviously massive ramifications if this happens in the PL and EFL and whatever is decided is likely to leave some unhappy and potentially a lot of soon to be rich busy lawyers.